Please don’t be offended, but I’m not in the business of pretending
Little Simz doesn’t need visuals to paint a picture — her dense lyrics and immaculate flow already do a great job at that. But sometimes words alone only tell half the story. Calling her music simply “rap” does an injustice to her innovation beyond the genre. Just looking at her, you wouldn’t believe she got her start acting. But after releasing multiple mixtapes since 2010, she has honed her craft and made her way to hip-hop acclaim.
Little Simz never takes the straight line to where she wants go. Which makes sense, because experimenting with form is nothing new to the London-based star. From her journal-turned-coffee table-book to her breakthrough LP No Thank You, categories have a hard time conveying everything she has to offer. So, for her latest single, “Gorilla,” it only made sense to break free from convention. To allow users to experience something new with every listen. To conjure new, unique feelings every time.
That’s why Microsoft helped Little Simz use AI to create an interactive, emotional experience for her “Gorilla” music video.
Being able to translate my emotions into my art is a skill I’ve learned to develop over the years. Using my energy in a way in which it can be felt in its purest form to the masses.
It’s a vibe. Your vibe.
Building off the creativity of the scenes found in the official “Gorilla” music video created by video director Dave Meyers and Little Simz herself, Azure OpenAI models ran an analysis on the layers of creative including the lyrics, effects, and scenes, then curated layers of background images and overlaid effects onto the video. Simply select the lyrics that you connect with most, then the algorithm does the rest. The AI is created to experiment with how feeling could be affected by color, effects, or emphasis, while creating a unique version of the video.
Just like a sample loop and a microphone, AI is being used as just another tool in Little Simz’s artistic toolbox to explore her creativity in new ways.
